Deccan Chargers announced that Emirates, the international airline, which serves India with 185 weekly flights, will be Team Sponsor for their season, starting 7th April.

Emirates will be supporting the Hyderabad-based team for an initial period of three years and will be with them for their opening Indian Premier League (IPL) match against the Chennai Superkings in Vizag.Ms Gayatri Reddy, co-owner of the Deccan Chargers, and Venkatram Reddy, COO, were joined by Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ Vice President India and Nepal, at a press conference in Hyderabad to finalise the agreement.

We are proud to have a leading global brand like Emirates as our Team Sponsor for the next three seasons of the IPL,” said Ms Gayatri Reddy. “We are confident this association with Emirates will be fruitful. With an exciting new squad and sponsor, we look forward to the tournament and repeating our winning performance in DLF IPL 2012.”

“We are honoured to be joining forces with the Deccan Chargers and partnering with the team for the next three IPL campaigns,” said Orhan Abbas. “India is a vital market for Emirates and we recognise the huge role it has played in our development, from the employees who make up almost 25% our workforce to the millions of Indian passengers who book with us every year.

“Through this sponsorship we have the chance to connect with the people who we connect to 122 destinations and show our ongoing commitment to a nation which Emirates has been serving since we began operating in 1985,” added Orhan Abbas. “It is also a tremendous opportunity for us to further strengthen our support of a sport which the people of India follow with renowned passion.”

The Deccan Chargers – whose home games will be played at Vizag, Cuttack and Hyderabad - will feature a host of household names in 2012, including Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, who will captain the side, South African stars JP Duminy and Dale Steyn, as well as Indian wicketkeeper/batsman Parthiv Patel.

The press conference in Hyderabad – which Emirates has been operating to since 2001 - was also attended by vice-captain Cameron White, head coach Darren Lehmann and their fellow Australian Daniel Harris, as well as Indian stars Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra and Manpreet Gony, who had the honour of unveiling the 2012 home kit.

As Team Sponsor, Emirates will enjoy a range of rights and entitlements to display their official logo on platforms that include the team’s apparel, in stadia branding, for premium hospitality and match tickets, official merchandise and access to the Deccan Chargers players.